FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: News Media contact: March 17, 2000 David Fiske (202) 418-0513 FCC BEGINS INQUIRY REGARDING SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO The FCC today asked for public comment on a new generation of radio equipment under development that can be quickly reprogrammed to transmit and receive on any frequency within a wide range using virtually any transmission format. This programming capability could allow a single device to transmit in the various cellular, PCS and other wireless services used in the United States and worldwide. In a Notice of Inquiry approved today, the Commission stated that introduction of this new technology, referred to as "software defined radio" (SDR), has the potential to change the way users can communicate across traditional services. These changes could promote more efficient use of spectrum, expand access to broadband communications for all persons and increase competition among telecommunications service providers. The Commission sought comment on how SDR could affect a number of Commission functions in the future, including spectrum allocation, spectrum assignment and equipment approval. The Notice is designed to solicit information about the state of SDR technology, interoperability issues, spectrum efficiency issues, equipment authorization processes, and other issues to assist the Commission in deciding whether to propose rule changes as a result of the developing SDR technology. In a software defined radio, functions that were formerly carried out solely in hardware, such as the generation of the transmitted signal and the tuning and detection of the received radio signal, are performed by software that controls high-speed signal processors. Because of the ability to be easily reprogrammed, a software defined radio could be programmed easily to operate over a broad range of frequencies, bandwidths and transmission standards. The Commission asked for information on how SDR might improve "interoperability" among communications systems that currently operate in multiple frequency bands and use different standards. In particular, the Commission asked whether SDR could eventually improve the ability of public safety and emergency agencies to communicate across the multiple frequency bands they use today. The Commission also asked whether SDR would allow wireless operators to change to a more efficient transmission system without having to replace base station transmitters or receiving units in the field. In the Notice, the Commission asked for comments about how SDR could result in improved spectrum efficiency and spectrum sharing. The Notice asked, for example, whether SDR would enable greater flexibility in access to open frequencies, and whether such equipment could be designed to include some "intelligence" that would let it monitor the spectrum to detect usage by other parties and then transmit on open frequencies. The Commission asked about the implications of SDR with regard to the current spectrum allocation model. Because SDRs would allow technical characteristics such as operating frequencies and output power to be controlled through software, the Commission asked for comments on the implications for equipment authorization and interference control. The Commission invited comment as to whether advance FCC approval should be required for the radio hardware, the software, or a combination of the two, and how SDR equipment should be tested for compliance with FCC requirements and standards. The Commission also asked whether an authentication system could be designed using special authentication codes in the software. The Commission noted that although SDR technology was first demonstrated in a Department of Defense project in 1995, the Commission's Technological Advisory Council (TAC), established in 1998, has been reviewing SDR technology, and is studying ways that the availability of such devices might affect the Commission's traditional approaches to spectrum management, as well as ways the agency could facilitate experimentation and commercial deployment of such devices. It noted that while the TAC is continuing this work, it is important, through this Notice of Inquiry, to obtain input on the subject from all interested parties to ensure that all viewpoints are represented. Action by the Commission March 17, 2000, by Notice of Inquiry (FCC 00-103). Chairman Kennard, Commissioners Ness, Furchtgott-Roth, Powell and Tristani, with Chairman Kennard and Commissioner Ness each issuing a separate statement. OET Docket No. 00-47 - FCC - Office of Engineering & Technology Contacts: Julius Knapp (202) 418-2472; Hugh Van Tuyl (202) 418-7506 March 17, 2000 STATEMENT OF FCC CHAIRMAN WILLIAM E. KENNARD NOTICE OF INQUIRY ON SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO The tremendous success of wireless has come at a price. With all the new wireless products out there --the mobile phones, the devices for wireless Internet, palm pilots and two- way pagers --, we are running out of spectrum. One way to head off a spectrum drought is to make sure that the spectrum that we have licensed is always in use. Ensuring that consumer demand is met requires that we push the envelope. We can do this by creating fluid markets in spectrum so that spectrum users can instantly match short-term supply with short-term demand. We must craft rules that allow spectrum to flow as freely in the marketplace as any other commodity. Last week the Commission took an important step in this direction by creating a new type of license in the 700 MHz band called the "guard band manager". Holders of these licenses will be able to subdivide their spectrum and make it available for others to use it as they see fit, so long as adjacent public safety users are protected. I view this proceeding on Software Defined Radio as another critical step in the development of a more fluid spectrum market. Software defined radios are smart devices that can make good use of underused spectrum. They can operate as a cell phone one minute, a PCS phone the next, a taxi dispatch radio later on and a two-way pager after that. They can literally bridge the gaps created by differences in frequency and transmission standards. In this way, they can make all spectrum users - from average consumers to police, fire and EMS workers who need to talk to each other - - more productive and efficient. - FCC - March 17, 2000 Separate Statement of Commissioner Susan Ness Re: Inquiry Regarding Software Defined Radios I am bullish about the prospect of "software defined radio" (SDR), a new generation of technology that potentially will allow communications equipment to adapt to multiple standards and add service features without changes to the equipment's hardware. The Notice of Inquiry we release today is both a culmination of efforts and the beginning of a new initiative. While work still lies ahead, SDR holds the potential to enhance our participation in the global economy, to access new services, and to utilize the spectrum more efficiently. The Notice is the outgrowth of efforts by the Department of Defense (DOD), members of the SDR Forum, and the FCC's Technical Advisory Council (TAC). DOD and members of the SDR Forum have pioneered the first generation of SDR, seeking to generate equipment that can be programmed to transmit and receive on any frequency within a wide range using a variety of transmission formats. The FCC has held several forums on new technologies and spectrum use, at which the potential benefits of SDR technology have been demonstrated. The TAC has reviewed SDR technology over the past year, studying the ways in which this technology may assist us in managing our precious resource - spectrum. This Notice is the result of such study. Hopefully, it will launch us in the direction of new products that better serve consumers; these products can be governed by streamlined rules that place the products in the marketplace more rapidly. As a consumer, I am excited about SDR because it has the potential to add new meaning to the words "anywhere, anytime." As envisioned, SDR devices can be adapted to work anywhere on the planet through software changes or upgrades that can be installed or downloaded from remote locations. Such devices also could download new service applications as they are developed and made available. As a spectrum manager, I am excited about SDR because it augments the tools we have to more efficiently manage spectrum. Today, we struggle to squeeze multiple services into spectrum, or to mandate specific standards to permit communications devices to work seamlessly. With SDR, the software could make such decisions, not the FCC. The availability of such software also might make it easier for different users to share crowded spectrum. Of course, protection of other spectrum licensees from interference resulting from SDR devices is paramount. Given the promise of SDR, it is my hope that industry participants will help us address the complex issues raised in the Notice, so that we can move quickly to make any necessary changes in our rules. I am particularly interested in ways that we might revamp or streamline our equipment approval process to accommodate SDR. Any rules that would enable new and innovative products to reach the marketplace more quickly without compromising safety and interference protection for existing services would most certainly serve the public interest. - FCC - 2 4 News media Information 202 / 418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 TTY 202/418-2555 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). 1